The Irwin family is famed for their inspiring legacy of animal conservation and rescue, which is still fiercely promoted by the close-knit community of self-proclaimed Wildlife Warriors. The family of the late famed “Crocodile Hunter” has helped hundreds of creatures brought to its center for life-saving care as owners and operators of the Australia Zoo and its Wildlife Hospital. The wildlife rehabilitation center garnered news in January of 2020 for treating 90,000 animals since its inception in 2004, including thousands of animals afflicted by the horrific Australian bushfires of 2019–2020. The charity also celebrated another great milestone in November of that year, when it treated its 100,000th patient, a lovely grey-headed flying fox named Isabelle.
Steve Irwin’s widow, Terri Irwin, and their two children, Bindi and Robert, have continued his cause of rescuing wildlife after his death in 2006, devoting their lives to caring for Australia’s native creatures. Bindi wrote on Instagram, “My parents’ devotion to making the world a better place has motivated me since I can remember.” “We’ve committed our life to defending the environment.” It is up to us all to make a difference for future generations. “We hold the key to the future.”
While the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital treats between 9,000 and 10,000 animals each year, its numbers skyrocketed in the aftermath of the devastating fires two years ago. The hospital needed to expand due to the surge of patients. After a period of fundraising, the Irwins were eventually able to start building of a new ward that will house all of the wildlife damaged by the wildfires, drought, and human influence. A part of the facility will be dedicated to flying foxes, whose admissions have increased dramatically since the 2020 fires. They’ll also construct a climate-controlled intensive care center to accommodate the expanding number of koala patients.
The Irwin family’s efforts have been critical, with an estimated 3 billion animals dead or relocated as a result of the 2019–2020 fires, and an unknown number still affected by the aftermath. And, while the number of patients they’ve helped is significant, the family’s true impact is truly immeasurable.
At its Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, the Irwin family has saved over 100,000 creatures.
Learn more about how they continue Steve Irwin’s legacy and purpose in this video
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h/t: [Reddit]